Dubai News
On March 15, Expo City Dubai will unveil plans for new residential developments aimed at creating a community of tenants, homeowners, businesses and attractions. The new housing developments will include apartments, townhouses and villas, providing residents with the opportunity to live in the newest neighbourhood in Dubai, with Expo City’s attractions on their doorstep.
These include 10km of cycling tracks, a 5km running track, children’s playgrounds and 45,000 square metres of parks and gardens. The Expo City Dubai districts are free of cars and single-use plastics, with 80% of the original infrastructure, including 123 buildings, being retained in the design. About one third of the 4.38 square kilometre site has been built on to date.
According to Ahmed Al Khatib, chief development and delivery officer, Expo City Dubai “will serve as a blueprint for the way we live in the future – a best-in-class example of sustainable, regenerative, connected community living”. The details of the development will be revealed with the opening of the sales centre, located in the Sustainability District.
Expo Village, which has 2,273 flats in 15 towers and accommodates about 3,500 residents, is the current residential offering in the area, located near the world’s fair site. The development is owned and managed by Dubai World Trade Centre.
Before the world’s fair closed last year, Expo 2020 announced plans to transform the legacy site into the country’s first “15-minute city”, where it will be possible to walk or cycle from end to end without the need for a car. In June, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, set out his vision for the legacy site, saying it would become a “hub of economic activity” and home to major companies and their headquarters.
The city started to open up in phases in October, with its key attractions remaining in place, including the Al Wasl Dome, the Garden in the Sky observation tower and the Expo waterfall. It also reopened Alif, the Mobility Pavilion, Terra, the Sustainability Pavilion, as well as the Vision and Women’s pavilions, which visitors can access with a Dh120 day pass. Businesses such as Siemens, DP World and China’s Terminus Technologies have already started to relocate to Expo City. Dubai Exhibition Centre, adjacent to the metro station, is a venue for major events such as international trade fairs.